Monday, January 26, 2009

An Interview with Cindy Lynn Speer and A Contest!

Please welcome Cindy Lynn Speer to my blog today.

Alisha: Can you tell us a little bit about your childhood? Favorite memories?

Cindy: I grew up on a quiet stretch to road. I used to walk and play in the woods around my house, by my favorite place was the creek that ran along the valley bottom of the farm across from us…I was always drawn to the water and the limestone ledges, they seemed so mysterious and different. I think it gave me a lot of time to day dream and consider what if’s. My favorite memories are related to riding horseback along the road, or going berry picking with my mum. Sounds stereotypically idyllic, doesn’t it?

Alisha: Sounds beautiful! Tell us about the hero and heroine in your latest release.

Cindy: That would be Tasmin and William, the heroine and hero of The Chocolatier’s Wife. Tasmin is a mage specializing in herb craft. A few years back she rescued a clan of wind sprites, and they’ve been sort of her pets ever since, though she’d never call them that. She’s engaged to William, who she’s never met, but who she’s written letters back and forth with ever since she was fairly young. (In their land, no one courts or chooses their spouse, the whole problem of who to marry and why is settled by a simple spell.) William is the eldest son of a merchant shipping family, he’s left the sea to open a chocolate shop, something no one’s ever heard of before. He’s also arrested for murder fairly early in the story.

Alisha: Ooooh, spell bound marriage and chocolate...I love it! If you were granted three wishes by a genie, what would they be?

Cindy: Let’s see…to be the kind of author people love to read, to become a fantastic fencer, to have an independent income where I could create a stable life for my family yet never have to wake up early again. I figured out that I love my job, recently…my only objection to working was the getting up part…isn’t that terrible?

Alisha: I hate getting up too..lol! If you could go anywhere to tomorrow, where would you go?

Cindy: Scotland. I’ve always wanted to go, it’s a beautiful place.

Alisha: If you could see anyone tomorrow (dead or alive), who would it be?

Cindy: Richard Burton…the Victorian explorer, not the actor. He was a brilliant fencer, a wonderfully educated person, and he saw so much of the world. He’d be brilliant to talk to.

Alisha: If you could choose six people to spend one week on a desert island, who would it be and why?

Cindy: They’d all be fencers! I’ve met some great swordsmen and women, but I never get to spend the time I want learning from them.

Alisha: If you had one day to spoil yourself, what would you do?

Cindy: If I could do anything, it would have something to do with sailing ships and reading. But, if I am trying to be realistic, my idea of spoiling myself is a day of reading and watching British costume dramas.

Alisha: If you could change one incident in your life, what would it be and how would you change it?

Cindy: We all have a ton of regrets. I don’t think I would change anything because…not just because of the idea that your mistakes make you who you are, but because I wouldn’t know how to pick…what makes this incident more important than another?

CONTEST: LEAVE A COMMENT FOR CINDY TODAY AND YOU'LL BE ENTERED INTO A DRAWING FOR A COPY OF THE CHOCOLATIER'S WIFE!

Don't forget to check out my charity book for children, Tennessee. 100% of proceeds go to gifting books to the Children of our Fallen Warriors at Snowball Express in December. Visit Tennessee's website at http://tennesseethetherapycat.weebly.com!